Only a Matter of Time
by wolfsmouth
Summary: They were always meant to end up like this. It was only a matter of time. Or, six first kisses between Cory, Shawn, and Topanga.


**Topanga and Cory**

The first time Topanga and Cory kiss, they're in the sixth grade, and it's all her idea.

She sees how sensitive he is, even if he tries to hide it. His comments don't hurt her. He's an immature boy, and she's known him and liked him too long to think there's any hate or heat behind his words.

When he ruins his hair and they're partnered up, she sees an opportunity to broaden his mind. Topanga opens up a seat at her table and invites Cory to sit there for a change. They talk outside of their project, and Cory even helps them take a bold stance to save Ms. Rosemead. It works, but they end up alone, handcuffed to each other and a locker.

Topanga tells him she's proud of him, of what they've done. She can see the warrior spirit he tries to hide.

Cory's smile fades at that, replaced with confusion. "You're not going to, like, kiss me now, are you?"

She shrugs and innocently asks if it would be his first kiss. After all, she says, "it would be interesting if all your life you remembered that your first kiss happened when you thought you looked weird, wouldn't it? Because then you'd know it's not what you look like on the outside that matters. It's what kind of person you are."

Cory's a little desperate "You shouldn't kiss someone you're not married to."

Topanga looks thoughtful. "Yeah, I would have to feel I really knew the person. And that I liked them."

Cory breathes a sigh of relief, and Topanga sees her chance to tell him without telling him. She shoves him hard against the locker, hesitates for a second, then leans in slowly. It's only a peck, but the gentleness behind it matches her sentiment.

Cory, for his part, is shell shocked. She thinks that if his hair wasn't already frizzed out, then it would have shot straight up right then and there.

She smiles again, "It was my first one too."

* * *

><p><strong>Cory and Topanga<strong>

It's been a year, and it seems like everyone around him is pairing up. But any time the topic of girls comes up, his thoughts jump straight to that day. Dating, dancing, kissing, he always ends up at Topanga. He tells himself it's because she's one of the only girls he knows that he's not related to. It definitely has nothing to do with love or hormones or puberty. Shawn starts joking about the two of them one day, and it just adds to Cory's confusion. Eventually he starts wonder what it would be like to kiss her again, and the thought doesn't gross him out anymore.

He gets his chance on Halloween. Getting caught up in some zany news story, he up mistaking the first signs of puberty for lycanthropy. When Topanga tells him she cares for him, he sees the 'prophecy' coming true, and he freaks out even more.

By the time the sun sets, he accepts his fate and tries to lock himself away, afraid to hurt who cares about him, who he cares about too.

But Topanga won't leave him. She's there as the final minutes tick down, and when the full moon rises, she's there to reassure him he's no beast.

"I see Cory. The same Cory I've known since I was three."

"I'm not a wolf? I'm not wolf. I'm not a wolf!"

She grounds him, as usual, and he kisses her out of relief and gratitude. He surprised when she kisses back, both of them clutching at each other.

When they pull away, she's smiling. "Yes you are", she jokes.

Cory throws his head backs and howls with a smile of his own.

* * *

><p><strong>Shawn and Cory<strong>

It's a late October night and Cory and Shawn are in Cory's treehouse. They're wrapped in flannel and blankets in the cool weather. Shawn's recounting his latest date to an attentive Cory.

"I just don't get it. I mean, dating's fun and all, but what's so great about kissing so many girls? I mean, once ya do it once, how different could it get?"

"Cory, Cory, Cory. You're still so young, you'll learn. I mean, look at the difference between our lips."

"Okay, they look different, but still. Lips, skin, you press 'em together," Cory smacks his hands together, "boom, you're done."

Shawn shrugs. "It's hard to explain. It's not just lips, it's the person too. There's, I dunno, excitement or something when you're with someone new. And everyone kisses differently, there's all kinds of stuff to try. It makes sense when it's happening. I mean, I bet you don't kiss the same way I do."

With that, an idea hits Shawn at once, it's stupid. It's stupid and impulsive, just like most of the things he does at this age.

He leans into Cory, wedging them both into the corner. It's not all that comfortable, but Cory's lips are soft, the layers between them are hot (or he tells himself that as his cheeks grow hot). Shawn lingers for a second to try and pull himself together before shuffling the two of them around and bumping their shoulders.

"You get it now?"

Cory leans back, frowning. "I guess so. That was… different. Not like Topanga. But she's a girl, and you, you're a guy."

Shawn rolls his eyes and smiles, "whatever Cor, it's all different."

Shawn wouldn't admit it, but he's right. He's never even thought about kissing Cory before, or any boy really, but that felt different, right in a way he can't understand. He feels something flutter in his chest for a second, but he shoves it down. After all, it's just Cory.

* * *

><p><strong>Shawn and Topanga<strong>

They're at a party. Down in the basement, away from the prying eyes of parents, Shawn, Topanga, and Cory join a group of kids playing spin the bottle. They're at the age where it's almost juvenile to play, but they don't want to chicken out. Cory and Topanga are in an awkward "will they, won't they, god, will they please just do it already" phase in their relationship, and Shawn is secretly hoping they'll have to kiss each other so they can face the facts already.

Somehow, the bottle doesn't land on any of them for the first handful of rounds. Just when most of the group starts to get tired of the game, the bottle finally lands on Shawn. Becky, the lucky spinner, gets a case of cold feet, and pecks Shawn's cheek before running off. Shawn doesn't know what her problem is; they went on a date like three weeks ago and she was into it.

He shrugs it off and spins. With his luck, of course, the bottle lands on Topanga. Shawn internally grumbles as he watches his hopes fall. Topanga and Cory give each other quick disappointed looks, and the circle falls silent. Shawn thinks about calling the whole thing off when someone beside him snickers. Instead, he leans across the circle and kisses her. He's not sure if he's more surprised at his own boldness or the fact Topanga kisses back.

It makes him feel weird, bad even, but he likes it.

Topanga's less experienced, but she's confident. Surprisingly, both of them put feeling into the kiss, despite the awkward circumstances. Shawn wonders briefly if this is how she and Cory kiss, but he pushes that aside. It's weird enough to kiss your best friend's girl. You probably shouldn't make it weirder by thinking of your best friend while you do it. When they pull away, they both look shocked, but Cory looks thoughtful. The game eventually dies out with the party, and they all go on as usual.

The three of them chose to act like nothing happened, but Shawn catches the weird glances Cory and Topanga send him and each other over the next few days, the same ones he returns. He wonders if they're as confused as he is.

* * *

><p><strong>Cory and Shawn<strong>

He doesn't really mean to kiss Shawn. Honest. Well if he's being totally honest, it's something he's thought about, maybe a lot, but he held back to keep their relationship as is. But the moment it happens is totally unplanned.

Things at the Hunter house have deteriorated again. Shawn's been staying at the Matthews' all week, and things are getting tense. Shawn won't admit it, but he needs their help. Instead he mopes and sulks, talks back to anyone who tries to talk to him. Cory knows he can't help it. Shawn thinks he's an outsider to this perfect family, an unwelcome intruder.

He's there three days before he runs off.

His dad manages to drag Shawn back home only a few hours later. Cory tries to give Shawn some space and stays up in his room while his parents talk to Shawn. But when Shawn finally makes it upstairs, Cory loses his cool. The door barely shuts before Cory launches himself at his best friend. Shawn's taken aback, but sinks into the hug.

When he pulls back, arms still holding onto Shawn's shoulders, he can't help but ask. "God Shawn, why would you do that? Why would you just leave like that, man? We were worried, I was worried."

Shawn's shoulders slump, defeated. "Cor, you and I both know I don't belong here. I'm a Hunter, you're a Matthews. I belong back at the trailer park, not here, invading your life and bothering everyone."

Cory doesn't understand how Shawn still doesn't get what he means to him. The part of his brain that's screaming at him to show him wins out, and before Cory knows what he's doing, he's leaning back in. His lips find Shawn's and he pulls him in close, hands clutching at his jacket. It lacks the gentleness of their first exploratory kiss, but it's not passionate either. Instead, there's a careful desperation that Cory wants to reign in, but he needs Shawn to know he cares, and Shawn's never been one for subtlety. Maybe this will get it through his thick skull.

When they pull away, Shawn looks dazed. Cory's worried he messed up, that he wrecked their relationship instead of fixing it. But Shawn shakes it off, smiles that dopey smile of his, puts his arm around Cory, and says "come you big sap, let's go see if your mom made anything to eat. I'm starving."

Cory snorts. It's almost like nothing's changed, but he can see Shawn's eyes are a little softer and his shoulders are less tense, and he feels the same. It might not be perfect, but it's the first of many steps in the right direction.

* * *

><p><strong>Topanga and Shawn (and Cory)<strong>

Topanga kisses Shawn for the first time on New Year's Eve while Cory sleeps between them.

It's their first New Years in New York, and the three of them are holding a pity party alone in their crappy apartment. They spend the night holed up in a blanket nest in front of the TV, watching news coverage of celebrations around the world and drinking straight from the bottle.

Cory passes out by 11:30, and by the time the countdown rolls around, he looks too comfortable and peaceful for them to wake or move. Work has been rough for him especially. Finding work as a substitute is harder than it sounded; the hours can be long and work is sporadic, last minute even. It's nice to see him so relaxed for once. Instead of waking him up for the ball drop, Topanga fixes his pillow and smoothes his hair as best she can. Shawn pulls the blanket up around him, hands lingering along his chest.

Topanga's always known how much Cory and Shawn love each other, how far past brotherly their bond goes, even if they haven't totally gotten there themselves. She likes to joke that Cory loves Shawn more than her, but she knows that's not true. Cory loves them both the same, just differently. And she knows she loves Shawn just as much as she knows she loves Cory or Shawn loves her. She knew they'd find themselves eventually.

Shawn and Topanga look up at each other as the countdown reaches 10. She thinks it's fitting that they share their first kiss over Cory.

Neither of them really makes the first move. Both of them lean in at the same time, meeting each other in the middle as usual. As the cheering and fireworks goes off on the TV, echoed by what they hear outside, Cory wakes up.

His first words are slow and sleepy. "I've had this dream before you know. This isn't how it usually goes, but I like it."

It takes a minute for reality to set in, and Cory start to looks paranoid. "I'm not dreaming, am I? Is this really happening? You two did not hear that last part, it never happened."

They roll their eyes at each other. "Cory", they both start.

"Don't worry about it right now."

"Just go back to sleep, babe."

They each kiss him on the cheek and cuddle up on either side of him. They'll have to discuss it in the morning, afternoon, whenever they wake up, they know that. But right now, they all feel like something finally shifted into place, their whole lives leading up to this one point of realization.


End file.
